There are 1 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2006 Lotus Elise in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
PLEASE NOTE, I HAVE NOT HAD AN ISSUE YET, BUT OTHER PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE. THE REAR SUSPENSION INNER TOE LINK HAS BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL ON THE 05 + 06 LOTUS ELISE. I HAVE SEEN FAILURES OF THIS PART SHEARING APART ON VEHICLES WITH AS LOW AS 5000 MILES. A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THIS PART CAUSES THE CAR TO BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE AND UNDRIVEABLE. IT IS A SERIOUS SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED OR KILLED. LUCKILY NO ONE HAS OF YET. HERE IS AN INTERNET LINK THAT DESCRIBES THE ISSUE IN A LITTLE BETTER DETAIL, AND SHOWS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TOE LINK. HTTP://WWW.ELISETALK.COM/FORUMS/SHOWPOST.PHP?P=392088&POSTCOUNT=34 HERE IS ALSO ANOTHER PICTURE OF A DIFFERENT FAILURE OF THIS PIECE. HTTP://WWW.1017.ORG/TEMP/TOELINK.JPG I UNDERSTAND THAT LOTUS SPORT HAS A FIX FOR THIS ISSUE, INCLUDING BETTER JOINTS, AND A SUSPENSION BRACE. I WOULD URGE THE NHTSA TO PRESSURE LOTUS INTO DOING A RETROFIT FOR EXISTING CARS, AND IMPROVE THE DESIGN GOING FORWARD. FOR SOME INFO ON THAT BRACE, HERE IS ONE INTERNET DISCUSSION. HTTP://WWW.ELISETALK.COM/FORUMS/SHOWPOST.PHP?P=179555&POSTCOUNT=1 THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Sep 8, 2026